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Maize ( Zea mays ) Response to Anthill Soil ( Termitaria ), Manure and NPK Fertilization Rate under Conventional and Reduced Tillage Cropping Systems

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  • Kafula Chisanga

    (Department of Sustainable Agriculture, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 447, Arusha 23311, Tanzania
    Centre for Research, Agriculture Advancement, Teaching Excellence and Sustainability (CREATES) in Food and Nutrition Security, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 447, Arusha 23311, Tanzania)

  • Ernest Mbega

    (Department of Sustainable Agriculture, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 447, Arusha 23311, Tanzania)

  • Patrick Alois Ndakidemi

    (Department of Sustainable Agriculture, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 447, Arusha 23311, Tanzania
    Centre for Research, Agriculture Advancement, Teaching Excellence and Sustainability (CREATES) in Food and Nutrition Security, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 447, Arusha 23311, Tanzania)

Abstract

Soil fertility management has been described by many scholars as fundamental and a major hindrance to food production amongst smallholder farmers in the developing world. To counteract this challenge, some farmers have been reported to use anthill soil as analternative fertilizer to improve soil fertility for supporting crop growth. Against this background, a study was undertaken with the aim of ascertaining the effect of anthill soil application alone, cattle manure, and/or their combination with commercially available NPK fertilizer on the growth and yield parameters of three maize varieties under field conditions involving conventional (CONV) and conservation agriculture (CA) tillage systems. Results revealed that anthill soil alone (5000 kg/ha) or in combination with either manure (10,000 kg/ha) or half rate of commercially available fertilizer (NPKS: 10% N, 20% P 2 O 5 , 10% K 2 O, 6% S at 100 kg/ha) competed favourably in terms of response to growth parameters. Furthermore, pH and P levels changed significantly ( p < 0.05) at harvest. We conclude that resource-constrained smallholder farmers in less developed countries utilizing anthill soil for fertility improvement purposes should judiciously apply it in CA planting basin structures compared with conventional methods, which appeared to be less effective and leads to sub-optimal yields.

Suggested Citation

  • Kafula Chisanga & Ernest Mbega & Patrick Alois Ndakidemi, 2020. "Maize ( Zea mays ) Response to Anthill Soil ( Termitaria ), Manure and NPK Fertilization Rate under Conventional and Reduced Tillage Cropping Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-19, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:3:p:928-:d:313540
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